Communication Devices in Patient Care Settings
Communication Devices in Patient Care Settings
Communication Devices in Patient Care Settings
Communication Devices in Patient Care Settings
Week 7: Use of Personal Communication Devices in Patient Care Settings (graded) 106106 unread replies.106106 replies. This week, we will discuss personal communication devices and their use in healthcare. As we focus on this topic, please address the questions below in the discussion. How can the use of the nurses personal communication device(s) impact patient care positively and/or negatively? What are the ethical and legal implications? What does the professional literature say about how communication devices can support safe nursing practice?
Coincident with the proliferation of employer-provided mobile communication devices, personal communication devices, including basic and enhanced mobile phones (smartphones) and tablet computers that are owned by the user, have become ubiquitous among registered nurses working in hospitals. While there are numerous benefits of personal communication device use by nurses at work, little is known about the impact of these devices on in-patient care.
Objective
Our aim was to examine how hospital-registered nurses use their personal communication devices while doing both work-related and non?work-related activities and to assess the impact of these devices on in-patient care.
Personal Communication Device Use by Nurses Providing In-Patient Care: Survey of Prevalence, Patterns, and Distraction Potential
Deborah L McBride, RN, PhD and Sandra A LeVasseur, RN, PhD
Associated Data
Abstract
Background
Coincident with the proliferation of employer-provided mobile communication devices, personal communication devices, including basic and enhanced mobile phones (smartphones) and tablet computers that are owned by the user, have become ubiquitous among registered nurses working in hospitals. While there are numerous benefits of personal communication device use by nurses at work, little is known about the impact of these devices on in-patient care.
Objective
Our aim was to examine how hospital-registered nurses use their personal communication devices while doing both work-related and non?work-related activities and to assess the impact of these devices on in-patient care.
Methods
A previously validated survey was emailed to 14,797 members of two national nursing organizations. Participants were asked about personal communication device use and their opinions about the impact of these devices on their own and their colleagues work.
Results
Of the 1268 respondents (8.57% response rate), only 5.65% (70/1237) never used their personal communication device at work (excluding lunch and breaks). Respondents self-reported using their personal communication devices at work for work-related activities including checking or sending text messages or emails to health care team members (29.02%, 363/1251), as a calculator (25.34%, 316/1247), and to access work-related medical information (20.13%, 251/1247). Fewer nurses reported using their devices for non?work-related
